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The Galactic Senate, also referred to as the Galactic Congress or the Republic Senate, was the governing body of the Galactic Republic. It consisted of hundreds of senators who represented the many worlds of the galaxy, and was led by a Supreme Chancellor that was elected by and from the representatives. Its primary concern was mediating disputes between varying worlds and dictating the laws and regulations necessary to maintain the Republic.

Following the Jedi Order's revelation that he was indeed the Dark Lord of the Sith and had masterminded the entire war in order to amass emergency powers, Palpatine would then declare himself the first Galactic Emperor, reorganizing the Republic into the Galactic Empire and the Galactic Senate into the Imperial Senate.[8] Stripped of much its power, the Senate continued to grow weaker under the Empire, which enforced its power largely through a system of Regional Governors.[12] Several years later and shortly before the Battle of Yavin, he formally disbanded the Senate, sweeping away the last remnant of the Old Republic.[9]

The Galactic Senate was led by a democratically elected Supreme Chancellor that held the ability to call for special sessions of congress, but could just as easily be removed as voted into office through a Vote of No Confidence from the various senators that served under them. Supporting the High Chancellor was the Vice Chair, who would help set the agenda for the senate and call for votes on varying pieces of legislation. Senators would represent varying worlds or sectors across the galaxy, while Junior Representatives could voice the opinions of a minority population or political party of an already represented planet. Despite this position, the Representative could not actively vote on or introduce new legislation, but could perform these duties if the instated senator was on a leave of absence or otherwise unavailable. Members of varying corporations, guilds, federations, and businesses received representation in the Senate, with members of the Trade Federation and others exploiting this position for monetary gain, and causing dissatisfied systems to view the Senate as corrupt.[13][1]

The Galactic Senate Chamber located in the Senate Building would serve as the meeting hall for the Galactic Senate, and would be lined with one thousand and twenty-four repulsorpods which could detach from their positions along the wall and float into the center of the chamber. Despite being the stage for which galactic debate would ensue, most work was done behind the scenes in formal and informal subcommittees in the Senate Office Building, which contained the offices of varying senators and the Chancellor's office at the top.[14] Under the Supreme Chancellor existed the Office of the Chancellor which would consist of his immediate staff.[15]

The Senate was divided into numerous committees and subcommittees, each to handle various issues of Galactic government and lawmaking. Some of them were:

The Galactic Senate would serve as the primary legislative body of the Galactic Republic. It was responsible for creating laws, mediating disputes, making treaties, and regulating commerce.[18] It possessed the authority to levy taxes, declare war, declare Free Trade Zones and manage almost every action necessary to preserve the stability of the Republic. Despite its vast authority, it did not prosecute offenders, leaving the judicial system in the hands of the Supreme Court and peacekeeping efforts largely in the hands of the Judicial Department. The Senate could not order the Jedi Order into action, but could often pressure it into carrying out its directives.[13][8]

The exterior of the Senate building consisted of a large courtyard known as the Senate Plaza which displayed several statues of the Republic's ancient founders.[22] The interior held the Galactic Senate Chamber which could hold one thousand and twenty-four repulsorpods that detached from the chamber wall, and were equipped with voice-amplifying microphones, translators, and hovercams that recorded the various proceedings. At the center of the chamber was a podium where the Supreme Chancellor and the Vice Chair would preside over meetings of the Senate.[14]

In background material composed by George Lucas in 1977 for licensees of the Expanded Universe, the "Republican Senate" represented a total of 24,372 systems and elected a Chancellor to a four year term. There was a term limit of one term. During a crisis, a Chancellor extended his term to 12 years and finally declared himself Emperor, first by rhetorically attacking the bureaucracy and then by aligning himself with it. The Jedi sided with the Senate after it attempted to impeach him. This story appears to be the germ of much of the events of the Prequel trilogy.[42]